Best Toys for Toddlers

What types of toys are right for toddlers? Anything that lets them discover their world. Here's a guide to the kinds of toys that give you the best bang for your buck.

It may not seem like it to you, but playing is your toddler's job. As he focuses on his puzzles or play sets, trucks or teddies, blocks or books, he's a little scientist at work, conducting experiments and exploring his world, using toys as the tools of his trade. Now that your child is more mobile and can manipulate things more easily than when he was a baby, toys are also a way to help him gain control of his environment and be the boss of his world (even when it's frustrating). So when it comes to buying (or borrowing) playthings, variety is key. Every kind of toy can teach your toddler something — cause and effect, say, or how to communicate and take turns — and hone his skills, from hand-eye coordination to recognizing patterns. The best playthings do many things at once (pint-sized shopping cart, anyone?) and are open-ended enough to continue to fascinate your little explorer as he grows.

Puzzles

Simple puzzles can stimulate so many skills. They boost your toddler's hand-eye coordination and teach him about shapes and patterns and concepts like in and out. What's the right type of puzzle to start with? Look for ones with four to six pieces and big wooden knobs that make each piece easier to grasp and pull. Simple shapes (circles and squares, say) are best at first; no matter which way your little puzzle-master puts the pieces in, they'll be right side up. Other ways to make puzzle-time pleasant: Look for puzzles with identical pictures underneath the cutouts — pull out a cow or a circle and there's one underneath — since it's easier for toddlers to match by pictures. As soon as he gets frustrated, though, the jig's up: Put the puzzle away or hand him one he's already perfected.

Shape Sorters

Chances are you got a shape sorter when your toddler was a baby, when he loved to take all the pieces out (and you spent evenings hunting down every last one of them). Now he's better able to fit the shapes into the holes and listen to them hit the bottom of the sorter ("Thunk!"), a good way to learn about cause and effect. Younger toddlers may still need a hand when it comes to recognizing which shape goes where; you can work in a little vocab-boosting lesson as you hand him the shape ("That's a triangle! Where does the circle go?"). You can also start to teach him colors ("What a pretty blue square!"). For toddlers older than two, you can get sorters with more sophisticated shapes, like ovals and octagons, that he may find more challenging.

Push-Pull Toys

What's the appeal of push toys? They give your child the support he needs to move faster, and that's always exciting for thrill-seeking toddlers. Get a sturdy push toy that won't tip over and has a handle low enough to reach easily. If it does something else (makes noise, plays music, "pops" balls), all the better; that helps your toddler hone his balance and coordination even while other things distract him. As he gets older, he'll still have a blast pushing something along. And because he'll be the right age to be turned on by toddler-sized versions of grown-up items, you can get him a doll-sized stroller, or a plastic lawn mower or shopping cart — toys that fit easily into his pretend games like going shopping and taking care of his stuffed animals. Need another way to entice your toddler to practice walking? Give him a pull toy at around 15 months. Make sure it's sturdy enough not to tip over and get caught on a table leg ("Wahhh!") and that the string is no longer than 12 inches.

Ride-On Toys

For a toddler, even a foot-powered ride is a treat. Zooming away from you fosters his sense of independence ("Look how far and fast I can go!") and control. Cruising around on a ride-on toy lets him build the large-motor skills that he'll need for running, kicking, and jumping and boosts his balance and coordination. Younger toddlers don't have the skill to pedal yet, so he'll find a toy he can maneuver with his own two feet way less frustrating (as will you). Toys that look like the real thing — from fire trucks to police cars — will also give him a thrill and can be part of pretend games. ("Let's race to get the kitty down from the tree!") When he's closer to three, he'll be coordinated enough to learn to pedal. Get him a sturdy three-wheeled trike and then watch him take off. (Before you let him get on the tricycle, make sure he knows to wait for you to catch up, especially at street corners, and always make him wear a helmet.)

Balls

Balls are your BFF when it comes to wearing down your toddler and giving him plenty of exercise. At around age two, he'll be able to throw one (though his catching ability will come later), kick one, and (especially!) run after one. So take him outside and let the games begin. They can be as simple as kicking the ball around, chasing it, or rolling it down a hill. Or tell your toddler to wait at the bottom of the slide while you roll the ball down to him. Stuck inside? Place a cardboard box with the opening facing your toddler and tell him to roll the ball inside the box. (Minimize the tears by making sure he's sitting near the box.) As he gets better and better at this indoor activity, move him a little farther away.

Stuffed Animals and Dolls

Those stuffed animals and dolls of babyhood can do so much more now — they can be guests at a tea party, members of the audience for a dance contest, or fellow travelers when you go on a "train" or "plane" to some exotic place. They'll come in handy for teaching manners ("Teddy says 'thank you for giving me this piece of cake'"). They can be allies when it comes to naming emotions ("Doggie is sad just like you. Maybe we can cheer up Doggie by putting this hat on him!"). They can teach your child such valuable social skills as empathy and nurturing. Above all, they'll stimulate her imagination. And if you want to see how much your child absorbs from you, sneak a peek the next time she's playing with her cuddly friends; you'll probably hear your words coming out of her mouth ("That's it. Time out for you, Teddy!")

Blocks and Building Systems

Blocks are such a cliché of childhood that they often get overlooked. But they teach your toddler how to use both hands to stack and give him a feeling of accomplishment when he finishes building something (even if it's just a three-block tower). But what's better — plastic, foam, or wood? It depends on your child's age and skills. When he's younger, he'll have more of a blast knocking things down than building — and it may be more satisfying to knock down a small stack of wooden blocks (they'll scatter better) than the plastic or foam kind. But when it comes to building, colorful plastic or foam blocks that fit together more easily (like Mega Bloks, Duplos, or Edushape) and are easier to pick up and hold will be better for your toddler. Later on, when he's closer to three, he may enjoy wooden blocks again for elaborate castles and structures.

Vehicles

From tractor to truck, airplane to train, toy vehicles can teach kids so many things. How? First, they look like the real thing (if the real thing were made of brightly colored plastic, that is), so they provide some knowledge about how the world works — fire trucks have bells that clang, police cars have sirens; tractors can push dirt around. They're perfect for stimulating little imaginations, even when your toddler is just pushing a car around the rug. (Give it a boost by asking him where the car is going or who's riding in it.) And dump trucks and other construction vehicles are the perfect way to teach a toddler such concepts as empty and full. When your toddler is younger, get toys that are easy to hold and push; once he's closer to three, he may enjoy smaller-sized cars and trucks that roll faster on their own after he gives them a push.

Pint-Sized Household Items

What's a toddler's favorite thing to do? Mimic you, of course. That's why she loves anything that looks like the stuff you use — from the cell phone to the vacuum cleaner. So let her whip up a gourmet meal using pretend food and pots and pans. Tell her to sweep out her room with a toy broom. Go grocery shopping with her toy shopping cart — you can switch off ringing up the items with her toy cash register. Take her out to the garden and let her dig up weeds with her pint-sized shovel or rake up some leaves with her toy rake. Besides boosting her language skills, you are teaching her how to navigate the real world — even though it'll be years before she's mowing the lawn and vacuuming the house and doing all those grown-up chores that won't seem so fun anymore.

Dollhouses and Play Sets

You don't have to go all out and buy an elaborate dollhouse or princess castle to stimulate your toddler's imagination. Even the simplest house with a few plastic figures will do. A farm set with animals and a farmer can teach your child animal sounds ("Moo!"), colors (the red barn, the pink pig), and everyday concepts (the cow goes in the barn, the farmer walks outside). A simple dollhouse with a family can prep your toddler for the new baby sib that's about to join the family. Look for people, animals, and furniture that are chunky and big enough for little hands to grasp, hold, and move around. Everyday scenes work well for toddlers — a school, a gas station, a grocery store — and teach them about the real world.

Dress-Up Clothes

Playing dress up is one of the best ways to pretend, but did you know it could also teach your toddler about size? Put her in a pair of your shoes and you can talk about little feet in big shoes. You can use the clothes to teach her about textures (the shiny scarf, the silky shirt) and colors (the brown hat, the blue tie). Older toddlers can practice their fine-motor skills by doing up the buttons and snaps. And then there's all the role-playing you can do. Give her a fire-chief's hat and tell her to pretend she's a firefighter ("Lets go fight the fire!") or give her a tote bag and tell her it's time to go shopping ("We're going to the farmer's market. What can we buy today?"). You don't need to go out and buy a lot of mini clothing, either. Sometimes the most entertaining things can come from your closet (or Dad's).

Water and Sand Toys

Need a new use for those nesting cups? Take them to the sandbox or into the bath. Show your toddler how he can use the little one to pour water or sand into the bigger one — and then learn about size and emptying and filling in the process. As he becomes more mature (and coordinated), you can give him more sophisticated toys for sandbox and water play — not only pails and shovels, but also sand sifters and water wheels. If he gets bored, tell him to look for buried treasure and hide some toys that are big enough for him to dig up easily. (You may just have to partially bury the toy so it's easier to spot.) Worried about bacteria and parasites lurking in the sand? If you've got a sandbox in your backyard, make sure to cover it at night to prevent animals from using it as a litter box; if you're at the playground, keep an eye on your toddler so he doesn't put sand in his mouth and wash his hands (or wipe 'em down) when he's through playing.

Books

The best books for toddlers have straightforward, simple story lines (there's a reason why Goodnight Moon is a classic) and clear illustrations. Sturdy board books or thick pages are the way to go — your toddler can't be expected to treat a book carefully (better put that cute pop-up book away until she's in preschool). She'll still love exploring a book, so one with shiny surfaces or different textures is fun for her. And get ready to read the same book over and over. Toddlers crave repetition — hearing the same words and looking at the same pictures give them a sense of control and mastery (even if you got sick of reading the Hungry Caterpillar after the twenty-fifth time). If your antsy toddler doesn't like to cuddle on your lap to look at books, let her roam around the room or scribble on a piece of paper as you read. Don't worry, she's still getting what she needs — the soothing voice of the person she loves the most.

Art Supplies

At around 15 months, your toddler will be able to hold a crayon, so give her a chunky-sized (nontoxic) one that's easy for her to grasp and a big sheet of paper, and let her scribble to her heart's content. Making her mark with crayons, markers, or finger paints will give her a sense of control and freedom as well as sharpen her fine-motor skills. Give her free rein (as long as it's not on your walls). Ask her what she's drawing — those scribbles mean something to her, and it's fun to hear her answer. ("We're walking the dog.") When the weather's nice, take her outside and give her some pieces of chunky colored chalk. Whether her canvas is a (safe) part of the driveway, the sidewalk, or the playground surface, she'll have a blast filling up such a large canvas.

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